In the 100 or so pages of this discussion, I'm quite sure this information has been promulgated somewhere, but I'll plop it in just the same. I was complaining to a sibling about the high cost of insurance and the limited options and wrote a few facts up. The summary is that our government is already paying a lot towards health care. It made me think eliminating insurance companies and paying more taxes to replace insurance companies would not be such a bad thing.
Obamacare (ACA) subsidizes insurance.
That subsidy may be why insurance is so high. Insurance companies see free money guaranteed by Uncle Sam. I'd rather pay it to Uncle Sam and have them do the health care thing. It would take a lot of greed out and almost assuredly a lot of waste.
You may find this interesting unless I have already tuned you out:
The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, and a large share of that spending comes from the federal government.
"In 2017, the United States spent about $3.5 trillion, or 18 percent of GDP, on health expenditures – more than twice the average among developed countries.
Of that $3.5 trillion, $1.5 trillion, is directly or indirectly financed by the federal government. In other words, the federal government dedicates resources of nearly 8 percent of the economy toward health care. By 2028, we estimate these costs will rise to $2.9 trillion, or 9.7 percent of the economy. Over time, these costs will continue to grow and consume an increasing share of federal resources."
So if they spent 1.5 trillion, how much per person?
"The current population of the United States of America is 327,678,262 as of Saturday, November 24, 2018, based on the latest United Nations estimates. the United States population is equivalent to 4.28% of the total world population."
Amount spent by the government / number of people => 1,500,000,000,000 / 327,678,262 = $4,577.66 / person
Remember - This is government only no insurance.
How about Canada?
"Total health spending in Canada is projected to reach $242 billion in 2017, with growth of around 3.9%. This will represent 11.5% of Canada's gross domestic product and equal $6,604 per Canadian. Health spending has trended upward since 1975, both in current dollars and in 1997 constant dollars."
How about England?
"In pounds per head, that's £2,892 on healthcare for every person in the UK and £7,617 per person in the US."
$10.00 is 7.8 lbs. So 2,892 lbs X 10/7.8 = $3,707 per person Hey! The United States government already spends more than that per person.
How about France?
Well $4600 per person in 2016.
You get the idea. The government is already spending enough to take care of most of the people. Somewhere it is being siphoned off. Hmmmmm, could it be insurance companies?
Next time you hear old Bernie talk about it, don't call him a crackpot. What a bizarre world.
Note to pmac - good Luck with that. Texas gives me the impression that they are one of the worst states for their implementation of the ACA.
This situation is obviously unsustainable and is certain to change in the next few years. It affects every one of us.